Saturday, November 6, 2010

How People Utilize Their BBQs And What Choices Could Highlight An Interesting Lifestyle Trend

How People Utilize Their BBQs And What Choices Could Highlight An Interesting Lifestyle Trend

by Jon Izzard

Starting out of my window this morning, you wouldn't imagine that it's the barbecue season. But it is and as soon as the sun shines for any length of time, the air on our estate fills with smoke and the lovely smell of searing meats as the bbq grills are uncovered and sparked up.

I'd love to do a survey on the choices of people for either a gas bbq or charcoal bbq as their weapon of choice. A little nasal experiment that I did on Saturday afternoon as I walked my little boy to the park, appeared to give the impression of a strong leaning in fondness of the gas bbq but considering there were merely a small number going at the time, we probably couldn't describe it as scientific.

It would be valuable to also see who has both options and what and how they use them. My personal preference would be that if I were going to have a barbecue for lunch on a sunny afternoon, I'd go for the gas bbq each time. We had a new one earlier this year when we felt that it was the right time that we did more outdoor cooking. Previously we'd used a very simple charcoal bbq which was very small, round and just had a single grill. We very rarely used it, indeed we had a bag of briquettes which we bought at least three years ago and which, when we cleared out the garage, found was more than half full and so could give it to my in-laws who prefer and have a very fine charcoal bbq.

However, if we were throwing a formal bbq with friends invited in the evening, something which we attempt to have every year and it normally goes into the evening, I'd use a charcoal version to try and get the proper smoky flavour into the food. And it is here that the option of bbq grills is important because although gas fired machines mean that you can have side burners for cooking vegetables, the heat can be easily altered and some burners not used at all for a small meal, and they are always available to use, they don't get that taste as the smoke coils around the food as it rises.

Using charcoal gives rise to the problem of time because they need to be lit and that can take a few minutes, then they have to be left to get really hot to the point where they smoulder. After that they have to be permitted to cool down which can be tricky when youngsters and pets are nearby and lastly the remains have to be thrown out which can be a dirty task. This means that a split second decision to use a charcoal bbq is a rather larger decision than if there is a gas alternative.

So it would be interesting to look at how people prefer their bbqs, what they use them for and how frequently they come out from under the covers. Of course it would be interesting to see plenty of the things that neighbours do, particularly for those who like to tut, but in this case there is a real interest as far as how lifestyle trends may be going.

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